NEW DELHI, Feb 27: US nuclear regulators have resumed cooperation with India over nuclear safety, five years after contact was severed when India conducted nuclear tests, a leading US official said on Thursday.

The chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Richard A. Meserve, said he and his 15-member team had met Indian officials in Mumbai on Wednesday and had identified five areas of cooperation.

These included fire safety issues, emergency operating procedures, the licence renewal of nuclear plants and design issues, he said.

“The talks have laid a foundation for nuclear safety with India. Both sides will benefit from this,” Mr Meserve said at a press conference here.

The visit was the commission’s first to India since New Delhi carried out nuclear tests in 1998, resulting in international sanctions and a halt to exchanges on nuclear issues.

The decision to resume contact on nuclear safety was taken in Nov 2001 at a meeting between US President George Bush and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, he said.

India has 14 nuclear reactors, three of which are more than 30 years old, which supply about three per cent of the country’s electricity.

“This renewal (of contact) reflects the recognition on both sides of further enhancing our relationship,” Meserve said.

He added that he hoped the visit would act as a catalyst to further cooperation. —AFP